Learn How To Love
by wellhellothere
Summary: Shikatema AU. Temari's life is a mess. Shikamaru's life is perfect. Will Shikamaru be able to help Temari find happiness and maybe even love?
1. Detention!

**Shikatema Fanfic**

**Learn How To Love**

**Chapter 1: Detention!**

Shikamaru was just sitting there minding his own business. All he was doing was simply writing a four page essay on the War of Independence when a life changing event occurred.

Yes, in just a few seconds, Shikamaru's life was going to change dramatically.

And the thing that started it all was a piece of paper. An innocent little piece of paper that was thrown across the room and managed to hit his head.

Of course, being the curious type, Shikamaru decided that he would open the paper and try and figure out what it meant.

Inside, was a sentence written by hand by one of the girls that sat near him. It had been aimed at the girl who sat to his left but had hit him by accident.

The note read:_**"Temari, who do you like?"**_

He just sighed, and wondered what to do with it. _'I could chuck it in the trash…but maybe, to girls, this is an important message. I could give it to the Temari girl…but, then again, which one _is_ Temari?'_

"You didn't have to read it, you know." a girl hissed at him.

'_So _that's_ Temari…'_

"You shouldn't have written it in the first place." he mumbled back, keeping a watchful eye on the teacher.

"You idiot." she replied, chucking another note. He stared at her in disbelief. All he had done was read a note that had hit his head! He could have told the teacher. Why did all the popular girls have to be so rude?

Temari stared at her notebook. It was empty. All she had ever done in it was doodle. Then, she glanced at the geek's table. He had just finished his third page of writing and was moving onto his fourth and final page!

"Hey, you. Geek." she whispered to him. He tried to ignore her but she knew he could hear. "What are we supposed to be doing, exactly?"

He turned to face her. His mouth agape. "What the hell? The teacher rambled on about the assignment for over thirty minutes! And you weren't listening for all of that?"

"Just tell me what to do."

"Why should I?"

"_Just tell me what to do!"_

"Nara Shikamaru! Sabaku No Temari! Be Quiet!" The silver haired History teacher made his way over to the disruptive pair reading all the way. "What's this?" he picked up the note that still lay on Shikamaru's desk and read it aloud to the class. "Temari, who do you like…hmmm." he raised an eyebrow at Shikamaru who blushed. Did Kakashi-sensei actually think that _he_ wrote that note?

'_Great.'_

'_Total humiliation.' _Shikamaru thought.

"As you know, there is no passing notes in class. I'm afraid it's a detention for both of you. I'm disappointed, Shikamaru."

'_No, make that total humiliation _and _a detention.'_

* * *

He sat there chewing his pen as he stared at an extra equation his maths teacher, Asuma sensei, had given him. He hated extra homework but his teachers were always pushing him…especially Asuma.

He glanced at Temari. Unlike him, she wasn't doing anything. She was just drumming her fingers against the table. Her gaze was directed to the clock but every now and then she would glance sideways at him and secretly wonder if she should be doing homework too.

Soon the clock reached five o'clock and Temari immediately shouted out "Sensei, we can go now, right?"

"No, not yet…now, listen up," he replied coolly "Temari, your grades have been very bad the last couple of months and I have decided that this has to change soon…with your exams coming up and all that. So, I have decided that you should get a tutor to help you prepare for the tests-"

"But I can't afford a tutor!" she interrupted.

"I _know! _What I meant was that you need another _student_ to help you out."

"Oh…who? Can _I_ choose?" she asked hopefully.

"No. Your tutor will be Shikamaru here. He is top of the class! And, since he's here, you can start straight away!"

'_Oh crap.' _they both thought.

* * *

Temari trudged along to the school gates. She constantly looked around to see if her brothers were anywhere near.

She caught a glimpse of red spiky hair down the hill and immediately quickened her pace. Soon, she caught up with Shikamaru but he didn't acknowledge her presence.

"Soooo…should we start today?" she asked.

"Fine. Mine or yours?"

"Yours?"

"Fine."

"You say 'fine' a lot."

"Shut-up."

"Fine."

She imitated him perfectly.

He glanced sideways at her to see her smirking at him. _'Troublesome woman.'_

* * *

"Here we are." he said. In front of him sat a huge pale blue house with a large white door. There was an enormous garden in the front and a gravel driveway leading up to a garage. On the driveway was parked a silver Mercedes 4x4.

'_I didn't know this kid was rich. Wait 'till the girls hear about this!"_

She followed him to the front door where he opened it and guided her in. The hall was _huge_. The walls and doors were white and there were black and white pictures of beaches hanging here and there. A massive staircase stood to the right. Through the hall that continued to the left, she could see a large conservatory and through the windows was the most beautiful garden.

The whole place was so clean and fresh looking. Everything looked so perfect and pristine but at the same time it still looked lived-in.

He began to point to different doors while saying quickly "Kitchen. Dining room. Dad's study. Another hallway to the conservatory, the library and the living room. Stairs…don't go up them. And the den. Get in there. I'll be with you in a minute. Okay?"

"Err…" she began.

"Just get in there and stay quiet!" he ushered her into the den and closed the door behind her.

'_Look how rich he is! I mean, I know his dad owns Nara Inc. but come on!' _she thought. _'I wonder what else he's hiding…'_

**Okay. So I don't really know about this story but I'm hoping you guys like it. I will update soon as I've already written the next chapter.**

**I wanted to call this Beauty And The Geek, but, when I was on holiday, I saw an advert for a show with the same name and the avoid confusion, I renamed my story...even though I really liked the origonal name...oooohhhh. T.T**

**ANYWAY! R&R...please!?**

* * *


	2. Lesson one

Learn How To Love

Disclaimer-I do not own naruto.

Chapter 2: Lesson One

The 'den' was (as expected) also enormous. It was painted red with dark brown floorboards and rusty coloured, old looking sofas. There was a black coffee table in the middle with an orange and red rug beneath it. A flat screen television was fixed to the wall above the black fireplace and a large mahogany desk sat in the corner with two matching chairs.

She stared at an oil painting that hung on the wall for who knows how long before she spied a beautiful glass vase on the desk. She traced the intricate designs with her fingers. Hand made. No mistake.

Just then, in strode Shikaku shouting "Shikamaru!"

Temari spun around in shock and soon the glass vase was silently tumbling towards the ground.

All that was heard was a loud smash sound and a "Damnit."

Temari was speechless. What could she say? Sorry? That probably wasn't enough. She blinked hard, hoping that when she opened her eyes, the vase would be okay. But it wasn't. It just lay there in a million pieces, while Shikaku just stood there, his face unreadable.

"And you are?" he asked with a yawn.

"I-I'm Temari, s-sir."

"Shikaku. Pleased to meet you Temari." he stepped forward and shook her hand before continuing with "Now, where _is_ that boy…"

As if on cue, Shikamaru crept into the room behind his father. "What do you want, dad?"

"Well, I was gonna make you go out and grab some stuff from the store…but Temari has found a better job for you here."

"Bu-"

"Good_bye _Shikamaru. Temari." he nodded towards her and was gone.

Shikamaru left and returned with a dustpan and brush, and with a glare and an awful lot of muttering, Shikamaru swept up the many pieces that were scattered across the floor.

* * *

"You know, you're gonna have to pay for that." he said matter-of-factly when he had finished.

Temari's eyes grew about two sizes too big. Her mouth dropped open and hung like that for around two minutes. Meanwhile, Shikamaru just stared at her expectantly.

"I-I…errr….we-well…I-I erm…"

Speechless, Temari just sat there. What did this mean. Was he joking?

He had to be. He knew that she could never afford to pay for something like that.

He collapsed down next to her on the sofa and stared at her expectantly.

What a great day this was turning out to be. "I can't pay for it, you idiot." she stated. "And if your dad hadn't startled me like that the vase would still be intact…so don't blame me!"

"You break it. You bought it. And since you _did_ break it you _will_ buy it…or pay for it…whatever."

She began to panic. He was really serious?

He continued to stare. "It isn't going to pay for itself you know."

Damnit. Her brothers were going to kill her.

"How much?" she asked, closing her eyes, trying to guess how many zeros were going to be on this number.

"Baka." he replied suddenly. "You need to lighten up. Forget about it. I didn't think you'd take me so seriously. Just be glad it wasn't the painting that hit the deck."

He picked a book off the shelf and handed it to her. She glanced at the cover and then stared back at him.

Her face read 'You're kidding me, right?'

She continued to stare at him. And then averted her eyes back to the book. She eyed it cautiously.

"Yes, Temari. It's a book! You _read_ it!"

"I know it's a book!" she growled, "It just looks so old! That's all."

"Temari…" his eye twitched in irritation. _'Troublesome.'_

"Isn't there any history that isn't so damn old!?"

"All history is old! That's why it's called _history!"_ Why did he even bother _trying_ to teach her. He should have just ran for the hills as soon as he was told he had to be her tutor. "Do you have to be so troublesome?"

"Yes."

* * *

When Shikamaru had finally convinced her to read the book rather than stare at the cover all day, he found that she was quite smart when she wanted to be.

Very smart.

She was also scary. Very scary.

And she was charming…in a troublesome way. She grew on him. He began to even enjoy the weekly lesson. She was someone his own age that he could spend time with-even if most of this time was spent bickering.

It wasn't long before Yoshino, Shikamaru's mom, invited Temari to stay for dinner. But, as expected, the only word that was running through Shikamaru's mind was: 'troublesome'.

"Stupid, match-making, bossy, annoying, aggravating, troublesome mother." he grumbled under his breath.

"Match-making?" Temari asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Just sit down, troublesome woman."

* * *

"So Temari…tell us about yourself." Shikaku asked in an attempt at small talk.

"Well, I have two younger brothers called Gaara and Kankurou. We live in an apartment on the other side of town." She waited for their reaction. The other side of town was the 'rough' area. People from around here didn't usually mix with those from over there. They might not agree with their pedigree son spending time with a common sewer rat.

But all the two adults did was briefly glance at her before continuing to eat their dinner. _'Heh. They're not as snobby as I thought they would be…'_

She chose not to mention her parents. They would have gotten the idea anyway that her parents weren't…around.

In the end, dinner finished on a high note. The parents seemed to have taken a shine to her…but Shikamaru just seemed relieved that something hadn't gone wrong.

"You should stay for dinner again sometime Temari!" Yoshino called as she left the house.

Temari smiled as she continued to walk down the driveway. She _would_ like to stay for dinner again.

"Wait!" she heard someone call. "It's late. I'll drive you home if you like." it was Shikamaru. Offering to drive her home. How strange.

* * *

"Bye then." she said quickly as she stepped out of the car.

"I can walk you in, you know." he was eyeing the apartment block wearily. Obviously not impressed.

"I don't need you to take care of me." she snapped.

"I dunno. I don't like this place. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yes. I'll be fine. Now go!"

"You sure? I'll come if you want." he was already stepping out of the car. "I just don't like the idea of leaving someone alone here. Even if they are as scary as you. I really don't mind coming." he walked around the car to her side, his eyes still boring holes into the building. "C'mon lets go."

"NO!" she stated firmly. "I don't need you to look after me so go home!"

He almost looked hurt. But he left nonetheless.

"Suit yourself." he grumbled and was gone, leaving her alone with the exhaust fumes, the towering apartment block and her brothers.

Oh God. Her brothers.

**I think I'll just keep the title the same...changing it would be too...troublesome.**

**R&R!**


	3. Warning

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update. I will update faster - I promise!**

Learn How To Love

Chapter 3: Warning

Temari never showed any sign of knowing Shikamaru in school. Only when they were in private would she talk to him - and that was only ever to order him around.

He supposed this was because knowing a geek would hurt her reputation. Her friends wouldn't agree with it, he figured. They'd laugh at her. Shame. Knowing a girl like her would really _help _**his** reputation.

* * *

Temari spent ages looking for Shikamaru at the end of the day; she still didn't know the way to his house by heart.

Soon enough she found him lying on the field, under a tree, staring up at the clouds. His arms were folded behind his head and he had a piece of grass sticking out from between his teeth.

She had figured out that this was his favourite hobby a long time ago. And she would most commonly find him there, rather then where he was supposed to be - gym class.

He was just too lazy to exercise.

Usually, he would lose track of time and would just lay there for ages after school was over.

She always thought a lazy-bum like him would be more than eager to get out of school. But school seemed to be important to him. He said his father wanted him to do well so that he could inherit the company one day.

When she had finally reached him, she found herself feeling awkward. His eyes were closed by now and he just looked so peaceful.

So - after looking round - she did something very un-Temari like. She just lay down on her stomach and stared at him.

They weren't in a hurry to get back after all.

And it was so quiet and beautiful out there. She could have stayed there forever.

Soon enough, Shikamaru began to stir. His eyes cracked open and he became very self-conscious. Why was Temari staring at him like that?

After a few minutes more of mindless ogling, Temari snapped out of her daze. She hadn't even noticed him waking up.

'_Oh crap…'_

"Temari, what are you doing?"

"Nothing!" Was all she replied with. "C'mon, we've got to go. Those tests are in a couple of weeks and I want to be ready."

He made no effort to move.

Temari stood. Determined not to be the one to crack first, she stood her ground and stared at him.

He stared back.

Her face morphed into a glare.

He just stared straight back.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him up.

He chuckled. She had cracked.

But she didn't let go.

They both stared at their intertwined fingers.

Shikamaru slid his hand out of hers.

Heh. He cracked.

Her smug look faltered when he placed his other hand in hers so they could walk with their hands interlocked.

Temari was worried that someone might see them. Shikamaru was worried that Temari might hit him.

And soon enough, both their fears were realised.

Because, while Shikamaru was walking home with a rather large bump on his head, Temari was walking home with the image of that all too familiar red hair on the horizon burning in her mind.

But they were still holding hands.

* * *

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

It's funny when one minute you're innocently walking to school and the next thing you know, you're pinned to a fence by a very tall brunette with a freaky looking red head close by.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" the brunette repeated.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you are talking about." he replied lazily. This wouldn't be the first time someone had him pinned to a fence.

"Don't let me see you anywhere near our sister again or I'll-"

"Who _is_ your sister?"

"Like you don't know."

"I don't know."

"**Temari** is our sister!"

"Well, in that case, I am sorry to say that I am tutoring your sister so I can't exactly _not_ go anywhere near her."

"Tutoring? Tutoring her in what?"

"History."

"Yeah, right."

"I'm telling the truth!"

Shikamaru didn't know either of these boys. Temari never really spoke about her brothers; he didn't even know that they were in the same school as him.

"Look, I see you so much as look at our sister again and I'll-"

"Kankurou! Leave him alone!"

It was Temari. _'Thank Kami!' _Shikamaru thought.

She grabbed her brothers by their arms and dragged them away. She was going to pay for this when she got home that night but her lessons with Shikamaru would be a little awkward if he had a great big black-eye courtesy of her brother.

* * *

She tugged at the sleeve of her shirt. He'd already noticed the bruise. She wouldn't tell him the truth about where it came from. He didn't need to know.

"Alright," he said suddenly, "That's enough for today. Want a ride home?"

"Can't I just stay a little longer?"

He shrugged in reply and her fingers found his again. It was strange the way that horrible feeling she got in her stomach when she looked at the clock melted away with one brush of their fingers.

The clock struck ten and she knew she had to be home.

His hand seemed to cling to hers as she stood. She hated pulling away but she had to. She gathered her things and was gone.

She didn't need a ride. He didn't need to see her end of town on a Friday night.

Just like he didn't need to see the other bruises.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so as I said, I will update faster. I've just had a load of tests in school recently so I'm really tired right now. But, all the tests are over now so yay! Celebration time!**

**R&R! **

* * *


	4. Promise

Learn How To Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 4: Promise

Temari didn't show up to school the next day. Or the day after that. Or the day after that.

And when she did finally come in, she completely blanked him. She wouldn't talk to him; she wouldn't even look at him! She would make fun of him with her friends. But it wasn't just fun teasing - it was just down right mean.

It really hurt him deep down. He didn't want to see her that way.

There were more bruises appearing. Small ones…but still the most horrible ones he'd ever seen; bruises just didn't seem to look right on her perfectly bronzed skin.

He had a feeling that the bruises and the ignoring were connected. But it wasn't his place to say anything. So he would just let her do what she wanted. Sure, he cared about her, but what could he do? He had suspicions that someone was hurting her. But, if she wasn't going to say anything, neither would he. It's not like she would accept his help anyway…

But after a week of being blanked and Temari not showing up to their tutoring lessons, Shikamaru began to really worry. She had mentioned once that she enjoyed their sessions together. And with the hand-holding and the meaningless complements here and there, he had even thought that she may enjoy the fact that she was with _him_.

But he had been wrong before - wait! - no he hadn't.

Nara Shikamaru was never wrong. And he had a gut feeling that Temari was in trouble. So he was going to do all he could to make things better.

He felt like the hero in one of those action movies.

'_This is going to be troublesome.'_

* * *

"Temari! Wait up!"

"What do _you_ want?!" she demanded as he caught up.

"Temari, what's _wrong_ with you?" Always straight to the point, is our Shikamaru, "Why haven't you been coming to our lessons? You do realise that the tests are in six days, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then why aren't you coming?"

"Because…my brothers said I can't." she murmured almost inaudibly.

"What? Why?"

"They just said so, okay? Now…l-leave me alone!"

"Temari! You're not going to be ready for these tests if you keep avoiding our classes." he took her hand gingerly, "…I'm worried about you."

'_Worried?' _No one had ever worried about her before. He looked so honest - so sincere. And the warmth of his hand and the way he looked in the moon light…

"Don't be. I'm fine."

"You better come to our next class."

A small smile tugged the corners of her mouth. _'I can't believe I'm going to do this…'_

But before she could convince herself not to, she pushed herself up on her tip-toes and kissed him. It was just a light brush of her lips over his. But it still made Shikamaru's mind go into meltdown and his whole face to turn a frightening shade of pink.

'_Troublesome, unpredictable woman.'_

As soon as her lips had left his, she was gone.

That didn't matter though. He was going to see her the next day.

* * *

He didn't see her the next day.

She didn't show up at school or at his house.

At first, he just thought that she was running late…but an hour had passed and she was nowhere to be found.

So, he came to the conclusion that she was in trouble.

As you would imagine, he was out the door in under a minute.

* * *

Temari had briefly mentioned what the number of her door was a while ago. She was three floors up, seventh on the left. And considering that he was practically leaping up the stairs and flying down the corridor, he _was_ there in a flash.

His ear pressed to the door, Shikamaru could make out quiet voices coming from inside. He could here a female voice among many other male voices. He wondered who the female was. Temari? No. That voice was higher than hers. At least she wasn't the only girl in there.

As hard as he tried, Shikamaru couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what they were saying.

He decided that he should probably leave. Temari might not actually live there. He may have heard wrong when she told him where exactly she lived.

He sighed, and was about to leave when he heard a familiar voice. It was coming from the apartment next door. He new it to be the voice of the brunette, Temari's brother. Listening carefully, he made out about five voices. Only two voices were familiar though. One of them being the brunette's and the other being…Temari's!

He knocked on the door, hoping against all hope that Temari would answer and not one of her brothers. But lady luck wasn't on his side today.

Gaara opened the door. He let out a confused sound and stepped back. He looked kind of dazed. It was only then that Shikamaru noticed that he was absolutely wasted.

The thick scent of weed assaulted his senses. Shikamaru gasped; Temari was in there!

Bravely, - Kankurou was in there - he stepped into the apartment, the smell of alcohol and drugs overbearing. He was just about finished pushing past Gaara when he saw four spiky pigtails sticking out above the sofa. "Temari!" he called. Her head slowly turned around. And to Shikamaru's horror, she wore the same dazed look as Gaara.

Stepping forward, he caught a glimpse of the coffee table. There were bottles upon bottles of alcohol. Surprisingly though, there was no weed; that horrible stench was coming from the tiny kitchen behind him where he assumed Kankurou and his friends were.

"Temari!" he called again. But she didn't even seem to recognise him. She continued to stare blankly at him. He tried to run over to her, wanting to take her to his home - to take her somewhere safe and away from her disgusting brothers.

But being the hero is never that easy.

In a matter of seconds, Kankurou - and not without the help of his friends - had thrown Shikamaru out of the door.

Despite all attempts to pry the door open being futile, Shikamaru didn't stop trying. He needed to save Temari. He just _couldn't_ let her stay in there and destroy herself with drugs and alcohol. He just _couldn't._

But he couldn't get into the apartment either, and that meant he wasn't going to save her today - but that didn't mean he couldn't save her tomorrow.

* * *

She didn't show up to school the next day. Somehow, though, she managed to make her way to his house for his tutoring lesson.

If she thought really hard, she could briefly remember him appearing at her home the other night. She couldn't remember _why _he was there. But she definitely remembered him being there, even if it was only for a few minutes.

As usual, Shikamaru let her in and they made their way into his den. He was acting strangely, she could tell. He didn't say a word to her except his usual greeting: "Come in, troublesome woman."

Biting her lip, she silently prayed that he hadn't _actually _showed up the night before. That it had just been a crazy dream or her imagination combined with her hopes that he _would_ come and help her.

"You've been missing a lot of school lately." he muttered at last.

"Yeah, I know."

He just gazed at her. The look on his face told her that he knew why. She should have just broken down crying. It wouldn't have been the best idea to show him so much weakness but all she wanted to do was cry. His eyes were so cold and dark and his face seemed to just _scream_ disappointment. She knew her heart was breaking - she just didn't know why.

"The tests are three days away. There's no way you're going to pass if-"

"I don't care about the stupid tests!" That's it. Temari's lost it. "What's the point?! It's not like passing these tests is going to make my life any better then it is. There is no _way_ I can change my life with some stupid test results-"

In a split second, Temari's world became very warm and soft. When, she opened her eyes, she found herself staring at a black shirt. The same black shirt Shikamaru was wearing. She was caught in a vice grip, held firmly in place by two very strong arms. Shikamaru was hugging her.

Shikamaru was _hugging_ her.

Soon, she found herself clinging to him for dear life. His scent - something like a mixture of grass and coconut shampoo - became her life source as she breathed in deeply. Her whole world was his heat.

It took a while before she even noticed he was talking to her. "… These tests _are _important, Temari. You do well in these tests and you stand a better chance of becoming successful. Better results mean a better job. A better job means more money and more money means that you can get away from that apartment block and your brothers. Don't you want that?"

"Yes." Was her mumbled reply.

"So, you promise me that you will come to school everyday until the tests are over?"

"I promise."

She looked up at him, only now realising how tall he was and gasped. Their faces were so close… their breath mingling. Unintentionally, her lips pouted and her eyes became half-lidded against her will. Shikamaru was quick to mirror the expression and leant down slightly. Just a little further…

"SHIKAMARU!"

Temari's body froze as Shikamaru's head snapped up, surveying the room quickly. Luckily enough, his mother was nowhere to be seen.

"SHIKAMARU!" she screamed again, seemingly from the kitchen.

"Troublesome…" he muttered, methods of how to assist his mother without letting go of Temari buzzing in his mind.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the slow update! I really am sorry!! T.T Please don't hate me. I shall probably update this in one or two weeks because, after all, it is the summer holidays and I don't know when I'll have time to type this stuff up. And I know this chapter is kinda fluffy but I am in a fluffy mood so if you have written/read any fluffy ShikaTema stories and would like to recomend them to me please PM me. Thank you!**

**Oh, and thank you for all of your reviews... you are all awesome people!**

**R&R!**


	5. Behind Closed Doors

Learn How To Love

Chapter 5: Behind Closed Doors.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the Naruto characters.

She knew it was late. She knew she was in trouble.

But somehow, when Shikamaru had kissed her goodbye - as chaste as it was - it had put her at ease. And now she didn't feel so worried about what would happen to her when she got into her apartment. For some reason, she just felt happy.

Perhaps too happy.

She had never experienced the feeling of fear and joy at the same time. She had never looked on walking into her apartment as walking into a whole other world before. There was a time when she would have seen her home as her haven; her safe place. Now, she saw it as her hell. Her hell that was going to ruin her new heaven; Shikamaru.

A large wave of fear washed over her when she turned the corner into the living room.

_She had never felt so happy._

And now she had never felt so frightened.

"Where have you been?"

"Out." was her pathetic reply.

"With who?"

"…"

There was no point in lying. They could see through any lie in a heartbeat. She could think of ways to answer the question _without_ lying; by saying something like: "No one you know." or "One of my friends." … but they would just keep pushing and prodding until they got a name out of her.

But if she told them. If they found out she had been with _him_. They were both in trouble. A lot of trouble indeed.

"Well…?"

"Why do you need to know?" she whispered in a futile attempt to shut him up.

"… You were with _him_ weren't you. That lousy, good-for-nothing nerd." he wasn't asking questions anymore. He knew. All Temari could do was whimper as he took a step forward. Her eyes snapped shut - not voluntarily; just out of habit, she supposed. He took another step. And another. And another. It wasn't long before he was standing right in front of her.

She could see the scene in front of her even with her eyes closed. Kankurou inches away. Gaara just standing by the sofa staring, his face as impassive and unreadable as ever.

"Should I call Itachi?" the words were like ice in her veins. Making her blood freeze and boil at the same time. A shiver ran up her spine at the all too familiar name. Of all of them, he _had_ to choose Itachi.

"Please don't. I won't stay out late again! I promise!" was all she managed to strangle out of her suddenly dry throat. Gaara had already picked the phone out of all the random bottles of beer that currently littered the table… he had already dialled the number and pressed 'call'.

It was at this time during her brothers' little game that Temari realised something terrifyingly disturbing. She realised that her little brothers, the same ones that she used to take to the park and read stories to, were _literally_ going to be the death of her.

Shikamaru just sat, innocently watching television, while this was all happening. He couldn't help feel like something was wrong. And, by now, when it came to Temari, he knew to trust feelings.

However, being as lazy as ever, made Shikamaru dismiss the nagging feeling and make his overused brain come up with a logical explanation for his worries that would make him feel better about leaving Temari to fend for herself with her brothers. It didn't take long for him to convince himself that he was just being paranoid and put it down to the fact that their goodbye kiss hadn't been a very satisfying one.

Too short. Too chaste. He didn't have time to think: _'Her lips are so soft!'_ when her lips had parted from his. He only got to think _'Her lips are s-'_ before she was completely out of view.

He reckoned that she just didn't want to be seen with him, the dork. But he couldn't deny the fact that that hurt him somewhere deep inside. _'So much for coming up with an explanation that makes me feel better. Troublesome.'_ .

The minute Itachi arrived, her brothers left. Kankurou just turned around and smirked as he left the room. "Hidan is coming later." Kankurou whispered menacingly. Just great. Wonderful. _Both _of them?

Someone up there hated her.

Itachi was bad. He was cruel, rough and arrogant. But Hidan was _a whole lot_ worse. Hidan wasn't just cruel, rough and arrogant; he was manipulative, overbearing and way too reckless. Even Gaara had mentioned it once. By the time Hidan was finished, she would be covered in blood; he liked to bite - a lot.

Of course, being raped would be - should be - traumatic for anyone. But, after so many times, Temari decided that she didn't find it scary anymore. It was just really painful… physically and mentally painful.

Pain wasn't _so_ bad. She had been through this before, she could do it again. However, the horrible tugging in the pit of her stomach just kept getting worse as she was laid on the floor; bare, for all the world to see.

Hidan's pale body hovering above her wasn't an uncommon sight. In fact, she was quite used to seeing men licking their lips and smirking as she lay underneath them in various _compromising_ positions.

Suddenly, Itachi's voice was heard. "Hidan, get off."

"Why?" he growled over his shoulder, releasing her from his icy stare.

"Because I'm going first."

"No you're not!"

"Yes, I am; I don't really enjoy it that much when she's covered in blood." he explained.

"… fine. But only if I get to do whatever I want when you're done!"

"Agreed."

She whimpered again as Hidan's ugly face was removed from her line of vision and Itachi's uglier face was replaced in it. It took a while for him to position himself; his red eyes preoccupied with boring into her already vulnerable mind.

Temari had learned from years of living with Gaara that wearing an impassive face was always very disheartening for anyone who was trying to get any kind of reaction out of you (which included cries of pain). So that is the expression that Temari wore during the whole torturous night.

Although… it didn't seem to bother Itachi… and it definitely didn't bother Hidan at all.

**A/N: SORRY! It's late... again. It's just that I forgot to mention that I was going on holiday and I only just got back yesterday. Again, I am SO SORRY!**

**Please continue reviewing! They are very much appreciated!**


End file.
